Schooling of a Midlife Witch

The Bearsden Witch #2

by J.C. Yeamans

The second novel in the spellbinding Paranormal Women’s Fiction Urban Fantasy, The Bearsden Witch Series by author J.C. Yeamans. Join Gwynedd Crowther on her journey into magic, mystery, and love.

In the follow-up to Secrets of a Midlife Witch, novice witch Gwynedd Crowther continues to dig into her parents’ history of witchcraft while deciding how to pursue her magic without the benefit of coven membership. She seeks the help of a new young professor to translate her mother’s grimoire, but he seems more interested in her than the tome. Could an Unremarkable be the love she’s been looking for? Or does she still have embers burning for Scottish Professor Archie Cockburn?

The implosion of a city building leaves her questioning her magical ineptitude, and she seeks the help of an unconventional hedge witch. After several more incidences and being followed by an unidentified witch, Gwynedd speculates a former foe has returned to Bearsden to seek revenge. Or is this a new enemy? What becomes of the mischievous Seelie Fae children?

Will Gwynedd ever discover why her mother left the Bearsden Coven to raise her without a life of witchcraft?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2022

About the author

Sign up for my newsletter at https://jcyeamans.com/ to stay informed on new releases, and join my reader group Books Around the Cauldron at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jcyea....

J.C. YEAMANS is an author of PWF Urban Fantasy and other paranormal fiction. A former public school teacher based in Delaware, she writes about all things witchy to find the inherent magic in life’s journey of discovery and love—all while making blunders along the way. Her prior career revolved around the performing arts.

When she’s not putting pen to paper (or more aptly, fingertips to keys), she spends time biking, hiking, and weightlifting.

Reviews

[Fraxinus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I am still a sucker for a book with a pronunciation guide, but throw in fae, crusty hedge witches and multi-generational mysteries and you have a book I devoured in a few evenings.

In this book, we learn more about Gwynnedd and the mystery of why her mother, who by all accounts was a powerful witch, raised her only daughter without magic. But, as Gwynedd tries to learn more about the magical world, without, you know, compromising her morals. She recruits a wise woman, who steals the story! Seriously, come for Gwynedd, stay for her mentor!

I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to see where the next book takes us!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous followup to book one. After leaving the coven Gynedd realizes that she needs to continue her witchy education and seeks out a mentor. Book two moves the story along wonderfully with expanding and new characters, mysteries surrounding certain events in town and a possible new love interest. I am so taken with this world that the author has created I was eager to dive back into it and was certainly not disappointed in any way. Full rich characters and story. Loved it.
I voluntarily Reviewed An Advanced Copy Of This Book.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this second book in the series! Gwynedd has come into witchcraft and found new abilities at a later time in life. She's new to witchcraft and needs a mentor/teacher to help her to learn about her abilities. She's very worried that she may have done something destructive and terrible due to her lack of knowledge and control. Luckily, she's able to convince another witch to train her. Meanwhile, her romantic life went from hot to nothing since she stopped seeing her boyfriend Archie. There's a new professor on the scene, younger than Gwyn, but interested in dating her. Archie is still on the fringes as they meet up for several coffee dates. Gwyn needs to come to terms with her abilities and has lots of decisions to make. Should she go back to being a coven member, should she date one of the of men exclusively, and what's up with her son Tyler...
I think that you will enjoy this series as much as I did. You could read this book as a standalone but I really recommend reading the series of two books in order. You'll meet all of the main characters and will have a large amount of background information to add to your understanding and enjoyment of this book.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second book of this series just as much as the first book. Gwyn is having trouble controlling her magic, and she may have caused a serious accident. Shaken by this, she works hard to pursue her training, but without the sanctioned teachers from the coven, she has to go outside the box, so to speak, for an instructor. She is juggling her training, dealing with Unremarkables, college, work, romance opportunities, surprises about her son, and trying just to survive another day. I want to mention how much I like the characters in this book. They seem like people who, if they were real, I would very much like to hang out with, and that's not something that strikes me in most of the books I read. If you like stories about witches and magic, that include mystery, suspense, strong loyalty and friendships, along with a dose of steam and romance, you'll enjoy this book! Better yet, start with the first book of this series, 'Secrets of a Midlife Witch'. It's well worth a look also, plus you'll get the background on the characters in this book.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

After selling her house, Gwynedd Crowther is staying with her son, Tyler, and sleeping on his sofa bed. She has withdrawn from the coven and has decided not to do magic anymore, but things take a turn when a building crumbles to the ground and her hand was glowing. She's devastated to learn someone died in the collapse and decides to do something about her "uncontrollable" magic. She asks several members of the coven to help train her, but they all refuse and say they are not allowed to since she isn't in the coven. Her last hope is to get Agnes Pritchard, a local hedge witch, to help her. It takes a lot to finally get Agnes to help her and the first thing she learns is that someone had put a hex on her, so she definitely wasn't responsible for the building collapse, which is a relief, but now she needs to find out who was responsible. She also needs to figure out what the letter her mother left behinds says.
A wonderful follow-up to Secrets of a Midlife Witch.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! Book 2 has just blown me away with the continuation of the Bearsden Witches.
Gwyn meets a new teacher who is helping her translate a letter written in Welsh from her mother.
She is looking deep into herself for answers about her feelings for Archie. She also has new totally sassy, foul mouthed, mentor who adds plenty of flavor to the story.

Some questions have been answered but there are still a lot to be revealed. With Gwyn reaching out to her mom through her ancestral magick answers may come but really the author has set us up for another promising ending that tells us we have so much more to discover.

I love the characters, their personalities, their roles in the coven and with each other on a person level. It's a family that pulls you in and makes you feel like you're invested in all that is to come.

[Jill Anna Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

SCHOOLING OF A MIDLIFE WITCH - A Paranormal Women's Fiction Urban Fantasy (The Bearsden Witch Series Book 2) By J.C. Yeamans Is a Tale Of One Gwynedd Crowther…Formerly Of The Bearsden Coven…Which She Leaves To Seek Answers About Her Life Elsewhere….& In This Installment Even Archie Is At Arms Length…Family Matters & Personal Growth Take Center Stage As Gwyn Seeks Answers In New & Different Ways …. Unexplained Serious Damage To The Campus & The City Of Bearsden Itself Lead To More Questions Concerning Her Magical Abilities…& New Enemies Arise …& New Alliances Are Formed …& New Secrets Are Revealed In This Installment Of The Bearsden Witch Series…Read and See. Much Enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I Voluntarily Reviewed An Advanced Copy Of This Book.

[Sarah Faeth Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was highly anticipating this second book in the series! It was just what I wanted in terms of answering mysteries and filling in more clues about Gwynedd’s past, while opening the door for more in book 3! Lots more character building for the main character’s son, and a huge expansion of Agnes (the crotchety hedge witch) as a primary character. I loved Agnes so much, she turned out to be my favorite character of the series so far! Book 2 was definitely spicier than book 1, but still tame enough to appeal to a wide range of readers. Would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a witchy “coming of (middle) age” book with lots of mythology and inter-generational fun.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers more information about Gwynedd’s family. She is very worried she has done something terrible because she doesn’t know how to control her powers. You have to read to see if it was her or something more. She knows she needs training and doesn’t want to go to the Coven so she has to find someone else to train her. However, that training and everything eventually ties back to the coven. The book has a love triangle with a new professor and Archie. This book has a bit of everything: mystery, suspense, friendships, and romance. I highly recommend you read this engaging book with interesting characters. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Lorraine Conniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first in the series, Secrets of a Midlife Witch, I couldn't wait to start this one. Gwynedd continues her life her way after selling her property and staying with her son, Tyler, until she finds somewhere. At first she works on her own, but when things start to go wrong she approaches a hedge witch as she doesn't want to rejoin the coven. She learns and gets stronger with her magic. In the end she has to ask Archie, an old flame and fellow witch, for help as he is the only hereditary witch she knows, as she needs help with reading a letter her mother left her. I won't continue with this as I will spoil the tale, but it's a must to read.

[Rita Chrivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despair and discoveries

This is book 2 in a series and should be read after book 1.
Gwen is on her own, both in her developing witchcraft and in her love life. She needs to find remedies for both issues as well as a new place to live rather than on her son’s foldout couch. Along the way, she needs to fight known and unknown enemies trying to harm her, the coven, and her son.
This is a faster paced story than Book 1 since character development is well in place for the majority of the characters. Action has a much bigger role in this book.

[Anteia Consorto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful second novel in this new PWF series. I enjoyed this book even more than the first (the first, Secrets of a Midlife Witch, is a must-read to fully understand the events taking place here). I loved the character development and the beginning of peeling back layers to learn their history. There is plenty of drama, mystery, found family and romance to keep you reading way past bedtime!
I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes us in book 3!

[Bud Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

On fire....or Lit! as one of the younger characters would say. I couldn't but this book down. The characters pop-off the page and the action is well paced with dashes of humor along the way. The tension relating to the town of Bearsden seems to come to an end and then...........! This is the second book in the series and we have a new-ish character that shines bright. Do yourself a favor, if you've read Book 1, definitely put Book 2, Schooling of a Midlife Witch, on your "to read" list.

[Rhonda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Series

I have already read all 4 books in the series. I enjoyed every single one of them. Each book has a deadly monster or evil person trying to kill the heroine and\or killing the citizens of Bearsden. The heroine must learn about her heritage and practice her witch skills in order to support and give strength to the coven. I really like most members of the coven. Even the cranky elder. But I like Spence the most. He is so much fun and so honest and open. Each person in the coven has a unique personality and brings certain strengths to the coven. And they all care deeply about their community, helping the homeless and protecting everyone against whatever threatens them.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, but with issues

*spoilers*

The writer needs to throw away her thesaurus. For instance, she sometimes uses the worst version of "she walked" sometimes. After a terrible fire and deaths, our heroine "ambles" over to talk to her friends while someone who is her surrogate daughter lies dying. Not the right word or attitude for such a serious occasion. It keeps happening throughout the story, and is very distracting.

[Tina Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the next installment of this series. I laughed at the mishaps of the magic use, also the character development that gave greater insight into the history of this story. Easy to read and leaves the reader wanting more. The lead into book three was very well done. Highly recommend.

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwyn is discovering much about her world. The ancestral power with in herself and the importance of the coven along with its burden. She finds more about family and magic which leads to a mystery that seems, at times, unsolvable. Gwyn and her inner circle of friends have quite a bond. Family is not always by blood, but those you love and who love you back.

[Allan Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

gah I loved it!

I had to immediately read this after I finished the first book and it was even better than the first! I loved Agnes, she’s a hoot! The story is so fun and the way it unfolds makes sense! And again, lovely steamy bits! My romantic heart was very happy even though it’s not a romance, but I don’t want to give anything away! Onto the next!

[Deonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire series leaves you wanting the next book as soon as you close the last page! Characters that you will remember long after you’ve finished reading each book! Well written and sweet magic! Mystery keeps the pages turning! Descriptions so clear that you can visualize everything in your mind! If you love books that you cannot put down, this author writes them!

[Amanda Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I did not read the first installment and look forward to the third… moderately spicy.. I’d give 2.5 🌶️ out of 5.. I love the evolution of Gwynn and her magic.. really looking forward to the next book!

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the second book of this series, Gwyn really came into her own and seeing her grow as a witch and as a person especially in her love life was great. Standing up for herself and others was great to see as she grew into her own.

[Erikita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was so excited to read the next part of Gwynn’s story and I was not disappointed. Really good fun read that ends on a cliffhanger and leaves me wanting more.

This is such a great group of witchy found family and delves a little deeper into some of the characters.

[Linnette Parris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I am blown away by this story. It is absolutely one of the best stories ever! The characters are so real and engaging. I feel as if I am there and can’t wait for more. Highly recommend.

[Karen Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much drama!

But the Bearsden Coven is ready and able, with experienced elder witches as well as willing neophytes, to protect their town and each other! I love watching them grow in knowledge and power!

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoy

I give this book 4 1/2⭐️ I really enjoyed it I like how some relationships where mended and secrets were uncovered while having some more mystery of what’s to come in the next book

[Patricia Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Gwynedd takes on the challenges of controlling her magic and menopause while trying to get her personal life in order. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.

[Sasha Roule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irresistibly Entralling! A Can't put down must read!

Once again Ms. Yeamand knocks out of the park. I could not put this one down. Full of intrigue. Love and Magic!!

[Mary Frandrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Great story, the plot, there are lots of interesting characters and can't wait till the next book comes out.
Love it

[connie deloach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book. The characters are believable and draws you in. Can't wait for the next one. Great job. Could not put it down.😁

[Rebecca Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series and it is even better than the first.
A wonderful exciting book that I couldn't put down. I loved reading this awesome book and highly recommend it...